Recumbents Explained

Here
at ICE we’re proud to have a wide range of customers, from those buying their second
or third trike to first time recumbent buyers. We’ve put this section of the
site together to give an introduction into the world of recumbent trikes and what makes them so addictive and exciting!

So what is a Recumbent?

A
recumbent bike or trike is a bike or trike where the riding position is
reclined with the rider’s feet being placed in front of their body as opposed to
the more upright riding position found on the traditional diamond framed
bicycle.

Why a Recumbent?

There
are a thousand different reasons to ride a recumbent. The excitement of the
descent, the thrill of experiencing the sights and sounds of new places,
knowing that you’ve done the journey powered by legs and willpower, the first
ride of spring after the cold of winter: all these form what is arguably one of
the most enticing machines known to man.

Great Comfort

The
saddle has long been the bane of a cyclist’s life. Many designs have come and gone, but the basic problem
remains, high load on a small area equates to a lot of pressure on delicate
parts! A recumbent gives a comfortable seat which spreads the load over a
bigger area. Many riders choose a recumbent due to back problems and find the
recumbent seat gives the comfort they need to keep riding.

Aerodynamics

At
20 mph most of an upright bike rider’s energy is spent overcoming air
resistance. Air resistance is affected by the drag factor (a factor that is used to quantify
the drag
or resistance of an object in a fluid environment such as air or water) and the
frontal area of a bike. Due to their unique riding position, recumbents have a
lower frontal area which reduces air resistance. This means that on the flat, a
rider on a recumbent will be travelling at a faster pace than the same rider
would be on an upright bike. When fitted with aerodynamic fairings, recumbents
can go even faster. The world speed record for recumbents on the flat is now
over 80mph (130km/h) – though we can’t promise all riders can achieve this
speed!

The Ultimate Distance Machine

Recumbents are frequently used for long distance rides and world tours. The
combination of great comfort, performance and speed makes them machines which
you can happily spend many hours in as the miles and landscape speed by.

Types of Recumbents

At
ICE we manufacture recumbent bikes and recumbent trikes. As you would expect
bikes have two wheels while the trikes have three wheels.

Types of Recumbent Trike

There
are two main types of recumbent trike, the delta type, which has two wheels at
the rear of the trike and one at the front. The other type of recumbent trike
is the tadpole type. Well loved by recumbent riders, the tadpole trike gives a
thrilling ride combined with exceptional comfort. The inherent low centre of
gravity gives exceptional stability and the seat gives great comfort
particularly when combined with suspension.

At
ICE we manufacture three tadpole trikes, the ICE Adventure, the ICE Sprint
and the ICE VTX.

Types of Recumbent Bike

There are two main types of recumbent bike, long wheelbase and short wheelbase. Long wheelbase recumbent bikes have the front wheel well in advance of the rider and are quite easy for new riders to master, however they are not quite as portable as short wheelbase recumbent bikes. Short wheelbase recumbent bikes have the front wheel located beneath the rider and provide scintillating performance combined with great comfort and mobility.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Will cars and other vehicles be able to see me?

A: Yes, We find that other vehicles tend to give trike
riders a wide berth as they are not used to seeing trikes on the road. The
trike comes with a hi-visibility flag for extra visibility. People in cars have
no problem seeing the trike and rider; after all, road markings are a lot lower
and are easily seen by motorists.

Q: Will I be able to climb hills?

A: Yes, but not as fast as you can on a diamond frame bicycle. The fact that you cannot get out of the saddle and use your body
weight means that you need to use a lower gear and pedal smoothly up the hills.
Our range of trikes come with wide range gearing for this very purpose. If you
get tired on the way up you can just put the brakes on and have a rest right
where you are without even taking your feet off the pedals.

Q: How does it steer?

A: Sounds like an odd question but we hear it a lot, the
trike has handlebars to either side of you with all the brake and gear controls
mounted on them, simply pushing the left bar away from you while pulling the
right one towards you turns the trike right (with the opposite turning left) It
is completely intuitive when you sit on the trike.

ICE reserves the right to change product specifications at any time without incurring obligations. US dollar prices do not include state taxes, optional equipment not included within the basic price. UK pound (&pound) Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price MSRP includes VAT at 20%. For details on full pricing terms and conditions for your market please see our pricelists which can be found in the downloads section of the trike model pages.